Ms Fionnughla McLoughlin:

I will make a few points on simplifying solutions, in particular the HAP. For landlords the paperwork is a deterrent to HAP but the idea of an NCT for houses should be kept because if accommodation is too easy to get it is usually not of a great standard and nobody should be living in such a property.

Tax incentives for landlords were proposed. When I started working in the access housing unit within the service I used to find accommodation for people living in homeless services and landlords used to ring to offer accommodation because they wanted to give something back and to do something good. That is no longer the case. They have had such a hard time with the administrative aspects of rent supplement over the years, and with rent being stopped because of tenants not returning paperwork, that they have turned their back on rent supplement. In a lot of cases they look at HAP along the same lines, the only positive thing being that they get HAP paid to them in full every month, something for which we have been fighting for years. The incentives have to be there to attract landlords back into the market.

The five-year leasing scheme, with local authority tax incentives, would be very welcome, as would powers for the local authority to advocate on people's behalf. People are overloaded with work at the moment and local authorities do not have the time to help individuals.